Entertainer guilty of child sex

ReutersEntertainer Rolf Harris, his wife Alwen and daughter Bindi (R) leave Southwark Crown Court in London. Harris, a mainstay of family entertainment in Britain and Australia for more than 50 years, was found guilty of 12 charges of indecently assaulting young girls over a period of nearly 20 years. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

London - Rolf Harris, a mainstay of family entertainment in Britain and Australia for more than 50 years, was found guilty on Monday of 12 charges of indecently assaulting young girls over a period of nearly 20 years.

Harris, 84, was unanimously found guilty at a London court of indecently assaulting four girls, some as young as seven or eight, between 1968 and 1986.

Harris, an artist, musician and singer who presented TV shows mostly aimed at children, is the biggest name to go on trial since British police launched a major investigation after revelations that the late BBC TV host Jimmy Savile was a prolific child sex abuser.

More than a dozen ageing celebrities have been targeted as part of the same over-arching investigation.

Harris will be sentenced on Friday.

During the trial, the prosecution had portrayed the entertainer, who once painted Queen Elizabeth's portrait, as a predator who groomed and abused one 13-year-old girl for her entire teenage and young-adult life.

Harris, who sang snippets of his most famous songs when giving evidence in court, said he had only ever had a consensual adult affair with the woman. He had denied all the charges and said the allegations against him were “laughable”.

A spokesman for the Harris family said they would not be commenting, in light of the verdicts, and asked that their privacy be respected.

Comment Guidelines

Has a comment offended you? Hover your mouse over the comment and wait until a small triangle appears on the right-hand side. Click triangle () and select "Flag as inappropriate". Our moderators will take action if need be.

Verified email addresses: All users on Independent Media news sites are now required to have a verified email address before being allowed to comment on articles. You are only required to verify your email address once to have full access to commenting on articles. For more information please read our comment guidelines